Machine for shaping uppers over lasts



1938- F. RiCKS ET AL MACHINE FOR SHAPING UPPERS OVER LASTS Filed Dec. 1, 1937 Patented Oct. 18, 1938 UNITED STATES MACHINE FOR SHAPING UPPERS OVER LASTS Fred Ricks and William Neil Bray, Leicester, England, assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application December 1, 1937, Serial No. 177,530 In Great Britain January 25, 1937 11 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for shaping uppers over lasts, and more particularly to the work-positioning means of such machines. An object of the invention is to provide convenient and effective means whereby the toe end of an insole, if the insole is loose on the last, will be positioned in proper relation to the last. The invention is herein ilustrated as embodied in a machine for pulling uppers over lasts prior to the lasting of the toes in another machine, but it is to be understood that in its more general aspects the invention is not limited to pullingover machines.

In the manufacture of shoes of the McKay type, for example, it is sometimes the practice not to fasten the insole to the last, and accord- .ingly the insole, although usually fastened to the upper at the heel end by an assembling tack, is loose on the last when the shoe is presented to a pulling-over machine. Notwithstanding, therefore, such care as the operator normally exercises in presenting the work to that machine, it may sometimes happen that the toe end of the insole is not in the best position relatively to the last when the upper is fastened to it at the end of the pulling-over operation. The toe end of the insole may, for example, project somewhat beyond the edge of the last bottom, and under those conditions there is danger that the wipers of a machine used thereafter to last the toe, especially of an automatic machine, will displace the margin of the insole in wiping the upper, as usual, heightwise of the,

toe, with results detrimental to the proper lasting of the toe.

Inview of the above and other considerations, the present invention provides, in a machine for shaping uppers 'over lasts, novel means for positioning the toe end of the insole in proper relation to the last. The invention is herein illustrated as embodied in a pulling-over machine of Y the character disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,979,420, granted on November 6, 1934, upon an application of G. P. Swales, W. T. B. Roberts and H. Lane, the construction of portions of the machine being more fully disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,029,387, granted on June 11, 1912, upon an application of R. F. MoFeely. Such a machine includes a work rest which engages the insole opposite the bottom of the last and supports the last and insole against the pull of the usual grippers which act on the upper at the end and the sides of the toe respectively. For purposes of this invention the work rest herein shown is provided with a pair of fingers arranged to extend heightwise of the last in engagement with the edge of the insole and with. the last in locations substantially at the.

corners of the toe between the end gripper and the side grippers, to position the toe end of the insole lengthwise and laterally in proper relation to the last. Since the upper is fastened to the insole at the end and the sides of the toe, but not at the corners of the toe, after it has been pulled by the grippers, these fingers do not interfere in any way with the operation of the machine or with removal of the shoe from the machine. To facilitate presentation of the toe end of the insole and of the last in proper relation to the fingers, they are mounted, in the construction herein shown, on a support which occupies initially an upraised position relatively to other portions of the work rest engaging the fore-part of the insole and is yieldingly depressible in response to pressure of the work thereon, the last and shoe in the illustrative machine being positioned bottom downward at an inclination to the horizontal.

In the use of pulling-over machines of the character disclosed in the above-mentioned Letters Patent it is the practice to present the work to the machine in such manner that the toe-end faceof the last engages the toe-end gripper, so that this gripper determines the position of the last lengthwise for the pulling-over operation. To permit each last to be thus presented, with out the necessity of providing for relative adjustments widthwise of the last of the'abovementioned insole-positioning fingers for lasts of different sizes or shapes, the invention further provides for movement of the insole-positioning means with the insole and the last in a direction toward the toe-end gripper after the toe end of the insole and the last have been positioned in proper relation to each other. In the construction shown the insole-positioning fingers and their support are thus movable against the resistance of a spring in response to pressure of the work against them.

In accordance with another feature, the invention provides novel means which may be utilized, if desired, further to insure that the edge of the insole at the extreme toe end will not occupy a position displaced inwardly from the edge of the last bottom in case, for example, the edge of the insole has loose fibres projecting therefrom in locations to engage the insole-positioning fingers. This means, in the construction shown, comprises a presser foot having teeth thereon for engaging the bottom face of the toe end of the insole and yieldingly movable about an axis, in response to pressure of the work upon it, in such a direction as to force the insole toward the insole-positioning fingers and thus to insure that the edge of the insole will firmly engage the fingers.

The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing and thereafter pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a view mainly in side elevation of a portion of the machine in which the invention is illustrated as embodied, indicating diagrammatically by broken lines the position of the' work at a certain time in the presentation of the work to the machine;

Fig. 2 shows the same portion of the machine as Fig. 1, and other parts associated therewith, as viewed in the direction of the arrow II on Fig. 1, a cover plate on the work rest being removed;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of a modification of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 shows the same structure as Fig. 3, as viewed in the direction of the arrow IV on Fig. 3.

A machine of the illustrated type includes in its organization, as shown in Fig. 2, a toe-end gripper 2 and side grippers 4 for gripping the margin of an upper respectively at the end and the sides of the toe and for pulling the upper over the last, the side grippers being omitted from Fig. 1. It will be further understood that such a machine includes means not herein shown, for laying the margin of the upper inwardly over an insole on the last and for driving fastenings to fasten it to the insole and last at the end and sides of the toe after the pulling of the upper by the grippers. As illustrated, the last with its shoe materials is positioned bottom downward at an inclination to the horizontal, as in the organization disclosed in the previously mentioned Letters Patent No. 1,979,420, by means of a work rest which serves to support the last against the pull of the grippers on the upper by engagement with an insole E on the bottom of the last. The work rest comprises a holder 8 for parts hereinafter described, corresponding to the member H3 shown in the above-mentioned Letters Patent No. 1,029,387, this holder being mounted on a cam-controlled support ID corresponding to the member I20 of said Letters Patent which may be consulted for further disclosure of the relation of these members to each other and to other portions of the machine. Supported as heretofore on the holder 8 is a member l2 provided with two serrated presser feet M for engaging the bottom face of the insole at the opposite sides of the forepart, this member having downwardly extending lugs I6 whereby it is pivotally mounted for adjustment about an axis extending widthwise of the last on screws I8 threaded in the opposite sides of the holder 3. A spring 23 tends to swing the member I2 in one direction, and. cooperating with this spring to determine the adjusted position of the member is a screw 22 threaded in the member and bearing on the holder 8.

Mounted for movement in directions lengthwise of the last in the holder 8, beneath a cover plate 24 on the holder, is a bar 26 provided near one end thereof with upwardly extending flanges 28. These flanges support a pin 30 on which is pivotally mounted for swinging movements in directions heightwise of the last a short bar 32. For purposes of this invention there is mounted on the bar 32 a plate 34 which serves as 'a rest for the bottom of the toe end of the insole and has integral therewith a pair of fingers 36 arranged to extend heightwise of the last in engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last in locations at the corners of the toe between the end gripper 2 and the side grippers 4. These fingers therefore serve to position the toe end of a loose insole lengthwise and laterally in proper relation to the last, the fingers shown being so formed that the edge of the insole is flush with the edge of the bottom of the last. The plate 34 is detachably secured to the bar 32 by a T shaped lug 38 on the plate which enters a corresponding guideway G0 in the bar and by a downturned end 42 of the plate which enters a corresponding recess in the bar, the plate near this downturned end being resilient. For shoes of widely different styles, therefore, difi'erent plates may be readily utilized. In order to facilitate the presentation of the toe end of theinsole and of the last in proper relation to the fingers 36, these fingers and the plate 34 are initially upraised relatively to the presser feet l4 by a spring 44 which tends to swing the bar 32 in one direction about the pin 33 and maintains it initially in a position determined by engagement of a corner 46 thereof with the supporting bar 26. After the operator has positioned the insole and the last in proper relation to the fingers 36 he swings the bar 32 and the parts thereon downwardly against the resistance of the spring 44 by pressure of the work thereon, so that the insole will properly engage the presser feet I4 as well as the plate 34, such movement of the bar 32 being adjustably limited by a screw 48 which is threaded therein and is arranged to engage the bar 23. Access to this screw is afforded by an opening 53 in the plate 3%.

In the use of pulling-over machines of the illustrated type itis the practice to present the toe-end face of the last in engagement with one of the jaws of the end gripper 2 to determine the position of the last lengthwise relatively to the side grippers. To permit each last to be thus presented, without the necessity of providing for relative adjustments of the fingers 3B for lasts of different sizes or shapes, the bar 26 is yieldingly movable in a direction toward the end gripper in response to pressure of the last against the fingers 36, the arrangement being such that prior to this movement there is a small space between the end of the last and the end gripper. The bar is controlled by a compression spring 52 which is mounted in a recess in the bar with one end thereof in engagement with the bar and the other end in engagement with a lug 54 extending laterally from a plate 35 mounted in the holder 8 at one side of a reduced portion of the bar. This plate is held adjustably in fixed relation to the holder 8 by a latch 58 pivotally mounted on a screw 60 in a recess in the holder and controlled by a spring 62 which maintains it normally in engagement with teeth 64 formed on the plate. It will thus be seen that after presenting the work in the position indicated in Fig. 1 the operator may move the last with the insole lengthwise into engagement with the toe-end gripper, the bar 26 moving with the last against the resistance of the spring 52. A lug 36 on the latch 58 may be used to disengage it from the teeth 34, after which the bar 2'6 and the parts thereon may be adjusted with the plate 56 in accordance with the size of the last when the grippers are correspondingly adjusted in a machine of the illustrated type. It will be understood that the plate 56 and the bar 26 are maintained normally in the relation shown in Fig. 2, since one end of the plate and its lug 54 are held by the spring 52 against a shoulder on the bar.

The construction thus far described is accordingly such that initially the plate 34 and its fingers 36 are positioned by the bar 32 somewhat farther upwardly and to the left than indicated in Fig. 1 to receive the extreme toe end of the insole and of the last. The operator first presents the work with the forepart of the upper turned back over the last and the forepart of the last raised above the insole far enough for the toe end of the insole to be readily positioned with its edge in contact with the two fingers 36. After thus positioning the insole, the operator lowers the forepart of the last upon the insole and presents its toe end in engagement with the fingers. He also forces the toe end of the last and the insole downwardly to cause the bar 32 to swing about the pin 30 intothe position determined by engagement of the screw 48 with the bar 26, as indicated in Fig. 1. Thereafter the operator inserts the margin of the upper materials between the open jaws of the toe and side grippers. Either before or after thus presenting the margin of the upper to the grippers the operator moves the last lengthwise toward the toe-end gripper to the position determined by engagement of its end face with one of the jaws of this gripper. It will be understood that in this movement of the last the fingers 36 and the bar 26 are moved along with it against the resistance of the spring 52, and the insole moves with the last since its toe end is clamped between the last and the plate 34. In the power operation of the machine the upper is pulled over the last and the insole by the grippers in the usual manner and is thereafter fastened to the insole at the end and the sides of the toe, the toe end of the insole during these operations being still positioned in proper relation to the last. After the upper-fastening operation the parts of the machine return to their starting positions and the operator removes the shoe from the machine, the fingers 36 interfering in no way with such removal of the shoe since the upper is not fastened at the corners of the toe where the fingers are located. The upper having thus been pulled over the last and fastened to the insole with the toe end of the latter in proper relation to the last, the toe end of the insole is not likely thereafter to be displaced from its proper position during the side-lasting operation and will therefore still be in proper relation to the last at the time of the toe-lasting operation.

Further to insure that the edge of the insole will, under any conditions, properly engage the fingers 36, a modified construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 may be utilized. In this construction, as illustrated, the fingers are formed integral with the bar 32, although they are not necessarily so formed, and this bar is provided with a slot 68 in which is mounted the shank portion of a curved presser foot 10 provided with teeth arranged to engage the bottom face of the toe end of the insole in a location substantially midway between the opposite side edges of the insole. The shank portion of this presser foot is pivotally supported on a pin 72 in the bar 32, and the presser foot is held normally in an upraised position, determined by engagement of its shank portion with one wall of the slot 68, by means of a torsion spring 14 mounted on a pin 16 in the bar 32. The presser foot is arranged to swing downwardlyabout the pin 12 in such a direction as to have a component of movement lengthwise of the last toward the fingers 36. It will be understood that the presser foot is thus swung downwardly against the resistance of the spring 14 by pressure of the insole upon it as the operator presses the last and the insole downwardly to cause the toe end of the insole to engage the top face of the bar 32 adjacent to the fingers 36 and to cause the bar to swing downwardly against the resistance of its spring 44, and by reason of its frictional enagement with the insole in this operation the presser foot tends to force the insole firmly against the fingers. This may be desirable, for example, in case the edge of the insole should have loose fibres projecting therefrom which by contact with the fingers 36 might tend to prevent the insole from being positioned with its edge flush with the edge of the bottom of the last. In order to limit adjustably the movement of the bar 32 against the resistance of the spring M in the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4, there is provided a screw 18 threaded in the bar 26 with its upper end in position to be engaged by the bar 32.

Having described the invention, What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with grippers for gripping the margin of an upper on a last at the end and the sides of the toe respectively and for pulling the upper over the last, of a work rest for supporting the last against the pull of the grippers by engagement with an insole loose on the last, said work rest having thereon members spaced apart widthwise of the last and arranged to position the toe end of the insole in proper relation to the last lengthwise and laterally by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last in locations between the end and side grippers.

2. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with grippers for gripping the margin of an upper on a last at the end and the sides of the toe respectively and for pulling the upper over the last, of a work rest for supporting the last against the pull of the grippers by engagement with the bottom face of an insole loose on the last, said work rest comprising a device for thus engaging the toe end of the insole and also means for engaging the forepart of the insole farther from the end of the toe, said device being adjustable in directions lengthwise of the last relatively to said forepart-engaging means and comprising fingers arranged to extend heightwise of the last in locations substantially at the corners of the toe to position the toe end of the insole in proper relation to the last by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last.

,3. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with upper-shaping means, of a work rest for positioning a last heightwise relatively to said upper-shaping means by engagement with the bottom face of an insole loose on the last, said work rest comprising a device for thus engaging the toe end of the insole and also means for engaging the forepart of the insole farther from the end of the toe, said device being provided with means for positioning the toe end of the insole lengthwise in proper relation to the last .by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last and being yieldingly movable in a direction heightwise of the last relatively to said forepart-engaging means in response to pressure of the work thereon,

4. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with upper-shaping means, of a work rest for positioning a last heightwise relatively to said upper-shaping means by engagement with the bottom face of an insole loose on the last, said work rest comprising a device for thus engaging the toe end of the insole and also means for engaging the forepart of the insole farther from the end of the toe, said device being provided with a pair of fingers arranged to extend heightwise of the last in engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last in locations substantially at the corners of the toe to position the toe end of the insole lengthwise and laterally in proper relation to the last and being yieldingly movable in a direction heightwise of the last relatively to said forepart-engaging means in response to pressure of the work thereon.

5. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with upper-shaping means, of a work rest for positioning a last heightwise relatively to said upper-shaping means by engagement with the bottom face of an insole loose on the last, said work rest comprising a device for thus engaging the toe end of the insole and also means for engaging the forepart of the insole farther from the end of the toe, said device being provided with means for positioning the toe end of the insole lengthwise in proper relation to the last by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last and being mounted for swinging movements in directions heightwise of the last relatively to said forepart-engaging means, and a spring against the resistance of which said device is thus movable in one direction in response to pressure of the work thereon.

6. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with upper-shaping means, of a work rest for positioning a last heightwise relatively to said upper-shaping means by engagement with the bottom face or an insole loose on the last, said work rest comprising av device for thus engaging the toe end of the insole and also means for engaging the forepart of the insole farther from the end of the toe, said device being provided with fingers arranged to extend heightwise of the last to position the toe end of the insole lengthwise and laterally in proper relation to the last by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last in locations substantially at the corners of the toe and being pivotally mounted for swinging movements in directions heightwise of the last relatively to said forepartengaging means, and a spring arranged to position said device initially in such relation to said forepart-engaging means as to facilitate the presentation of the toe end of the insole and of the last in engagement with said fingers and against the resistance of which the device is movable about its axis in response to pressure of the work thereon.

In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with means for pulling an upper over a last comprising a gripper arranged to grip the margin of the upper at the end of the toe, of a work rest for positioning the last heightwise relatively to said upper-pulling means by engagement with the bottom face of an insole loose on the last, said work rest comprising a device arranged to position the toe end of the insole in proper relation to the last by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last, said device being yieldingly movable in a direction lengthwise of the last in response to pressure of the toe end of the last thereon to permit the end face of the last to be presented in engagement with said gripper after the last and the insole are in proper relation to each other.

8. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with means for pulling an upper over a last comprising a gripper arranged to grip the margin of the upper at the end of the toe, of a work rest for positioning the last heightwise relatively to said upper-pulling means by engagement with the bottom face of an insole loose on the last, said work rest comprising a device provided with fingers arranged to extend heightwise of the last in engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last in locations substantially at the corners of the toe to position the toe end of the insole lengthwise and laterally in proper relation to the last, a support for said device movable in directions lengthwise of the last, and a spring against the resistance of which said support is thus movable toward the end gripper in response to pressure of the last against said fingers to permit the toe-end face of the last to be presented in engagement with the gripper after the last and the insole are in proper relation to each other.

9. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts the combination with means for shaping an upper over a last having an insole loose on the bottom thereof, of means for positioning the toe end of the insole lengthwise in proper relation to the last a;

by engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last, and a member arranged to engage the bottom. face of the insole and movable in a direction to force the insole lengthwise toward said positioning means in response to pressure of the insole upon it.

10. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with upper-shaping means, of a work rest for positioning a last heightwise relatively to said upper-shaping means by engagement with the bottom face of an insole loose on the said worl; rest being provided with a pair of fingers arranged to extend heightwise of the last in engagement with the edge of the insole and with thelast in locations substantially at the corners of the toe to position the toe end of the insole lengthwise and laterally in proper relation to the last, and a presser foot arranged to, engage the bottom face of the insole frictionally and mounted for swinging movement in adirection to force the insole lengthwise toward said fingers in response to pressure of the insole upon it.

11. In a machine for shaping uppers over lasts, the combination with upper-shaping means, of a work rest for positioning alast heightwise relatively to said upper-shaping means by engagement with the bottom face of an insole loose on the last, said work rest being provided with means arranged to extend heightwise of the last in engagement with the edge of the insole and with the last to position the toe end of the insole lengthwise in proper relation to the last, a presser foot arranged to engage the bottom face of the toe end of the insole frictionally and mounted for swinging movement in a direction heightwise of the last with a component of movement lengthwise of the last to'force the insole lengthwise toward said insole-positioning means in response to pressure of the insole upon it, and

a spring against the resistance of which said presser foot is thus movable.

' FRED RICKS.

WILLIAM NEIL BRAY. 

